New technology helps police find suspects

By Shannon on September 30, 2010 11:53 PM

by Shannon Lee
The new technology Shot Spotter helped Minneapolis police locate two suspects in a Minneapolis shooting that left one man dead.
Shot Spotter is a recently developed technology installed four years ago in certain parts of Minneapolis that uses a network of microphones to locate gunshots. It activates surveillance cameras to record footage from the direction of the shots.
Christopher Roy de Rhonde was shot Sept. 17 in North Minneapolis. Investigators did not find any evidence, but they were able to gather clues from an activated surveillance video.
Minneapolis Police Deputy Chief of Investigations Robert Allen told WCCO that the video gave police officers a clear indication of the vehicles physical characteristics, which helped them identify the owner and locate suspects.
The Shot Spotter system has 150 safety cameras installed in Minneapolis, Allen told the Star Tribune. Those cameras have helped investigators solve hundreds of cases, but this is the first time a case would have been unsolvable without it.